Good Heavens! Churches are Big Targets for Burglars

Is nothing sacred? Well, no. Not even churches. Really, especially churches. The problem with churches, like any public place, is that by design, they are open for anyone to come in and worship at any time. But in the case of a burglary, they are open for a bad guy to scope the place out. And it’s no secret that churches collect money—and lots of it.

In Pennsylvania, the Titusville Herald reports three state police agencies are investigating suspected burglaries at more than six churches after several local churches were struck by a rash of burglaries over one weekend—and most of the burglaries happened without any forced entry.

Investigators believe more than one person was involved due the weight of the items stolen, including a big, heavy safe. All of the burglaries included some kind of lockbox or safe being stolen. Some were at night, and some were in the day. No security alarms were activated. The article doesn’t mention the presence of any security cameras on site, either.

It’s pretty simple: If you are an establishment that is open to the public and you have cash in a safe or lockbox or have valuables on hand that can be sold or fenced on the black market (or even metal of any kind that can be sold at a scrap yard), then you need to beef up your security and stop thinking, “It can’t happen to us.”

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.